Chuuk Lagoon

Diving the wrecks.

September 2001 and May 2003 saw us visiting Chuuk Lagoon Micronesia, to dive the historic wrecks located in and around the lagoon. We spent 7 days aboard the S.S.Thorfinn, a 58m/170ft steam powered converted Ice Class Antarctic whaler. On our September 2001 we arrived 2 weeks after the September terrorist attacks in the U.S. This saw us sharing the boat with only 6 other guests, 4 Poms and 2 Canadians; it sleeps 22 - so we were looked after very well by the 21 crew. The May 2003 visit coincided with the war in Iraq which meant not many people were travelling and we had the Thorfinn all to ourselves as we were the only guests on board.

Although the day was action packed, we never got tired. This was due to the great attention we were given by the crew. Not once did we have to lift a finger to carry any gear, tanks etc. They passed cameras, torches and equipment to us in and out of the dive boat, and up and down from the Thorfinn. All we had to do was show up on time and roll into the water.

Our guide Bettewien was great and put us at ease on the deeper dives with his quiet gentle nature.

All the dives were guided and where possible (on most dives) we penetrated the wrecks. Our guide Bettewien was great and put us at ease on the deeper dives with his quiet gentle nature. He monitored our air consumption, depth and bottom time closely during the dive. He wasn't, however, overly controlling and let us explore the wrecks in our time and at a pace that was comfortable for us. His air bubble rings kept us entertained during the 10@5 safety stops.

The diving itself was fantastic! The water temperature was a constant 28°C no matter what the depth. There was no swell or surge and only an occasional wind chop. On some of the dives there was a very slight current, which wasn't difficult to swim against. The visibility was excellent, although not the 'Gin Clear' waters that places such as Palau are renown for. There are a lot of particles in the water which makes photography tricky due to the flash reflecting back off the particles and showing up as white spots on the shots.

Not only were the wrecks fantastic but the fish life was exceptional. There are Chromis of all sorts, including Green Puller (Chromis viridis) and Blue-green Puller (Chromis atripectoralis), Dascyllus everywhere especially Three-spot Dascyllus (Dascyllus trimaculatus), Headband Humbug (Dascyllus reticulatus) and Humbug Dascyllus (Dascyllus aruanus), some of the Pink Anemone Fish (Amphiprion perideraion) are residing in the biggest Magnificent Sea Anemones (Heteractis Magnifica) around. We saw heaps of Tall-fin or Teira Batfish (Platax teira), huge schools of Big-eye Trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus) and a plethora of Blue Damsel (Pomacentrus coelestis).

Our Three Favorite Wrecks

San Francisco Maru - this shipwreck was initially discovered by Jaques Cousteau during 1969, at which time it was not dived. It was located again during a 1973 fathometer survey and the ship's bell was used to confirm its identity. It is one of the most spectacular shipwrecks inb the world and often called the "Million Dollar Wreck" by divers speculating at the worth of the military cargo aboard. Read More

Although the Hoki Maru is badly damaged in the forward sections, the aft No. 5 Hold contains items that can be found nowhere else on the wrecks of Chuuk; building equipment and trucks. There is an airport mule (tractor), and a row of trucks (about 3 ton in size) all stowed neatly together side by side at lower level. The wheels still rotate freely after 70 years submerged. Perhaps the most exciting find in the holds are two still intact John Deere bulldozers. Read More

The Shinkoku Maru is one of the most interesting in the lagoon with vivid corals, and fish life along with fine arrays of shipboard artifacts. Night dives are supreme and rank with ‘best ever’. The soft corals and hydroids that emerge after dark turn Shinkoku Maru into a hanging garden and her medical bay is an interesting diversion along with arrays of engine and docking telegraphs on an upper bridge level. Read More

Life Aboard the Thorfinn

S.S. Thorfinn, Chuuk Lagoon, Micronesia

Captain Lance Higgs had everything on board to make both our stays very enjoyable. His crew are fantastic and saw that we wanted for nothing. The food was excellent - whilst not being 5 Star hotel quality, it was better than we expected. Given the isolation of the islands we thought the menu was going to consist mainly of fish, rice and coconuts. We we pleasantly surprised when the food was more like home cooking with three set meals a day, including chicken & meat and no coconuts, with numerous snacks, such as fruit, pastries etc., after each dive.

The Thorfinn anchors at 1 central location in the lagoon and utilised 4 x 24ft aluminium tenders with twin outboards, to ferry a maximum of 6 divers to each of the wrecks. They have recently upgraded their tender fleet to larger, more modern RIBs. The longest boat trip was 10 minutes out to the San Francisco Maru, but it was definitely worth it; this was the best dive of the 25 we did. When the wrecks of a particular area have all been dived, the Thorfinn weighs anchor and moves to another location and a new set of wrecks. This meant we were always anchored in protected locations with no swell or chop, and made for a very comfortable stay on board.

The days began with an early breakfast, followed by the first dive at 8:00am. This was always on a deep wreck with the deck in 40-55m of water. Our dive boat crew had our packs made up and sitting in the boat before each dive. We had a wet bag for the rest of our gear which was also in the boat before each dive. After the dive the crew would take our gear before we got into the boat, give us a towel and drive us back to the Thorfinn. We would then step under the fresh water shower before retiring to the 8 person spa on the Saloon deck, where one of the crew would bring us an ice cold water and a snack.

The second dive was at 11:00am on a shallow dive of 30-40m with more spa lazing afterwards. Lunch was at 1:00pm and was followed by a 2:00pm dive in 20-40m and an afternoon dive at 5:00pm in 10-30m. Dinner was served at 7:00pm and an optional 8:30pm night dive was available. What a day!! Although the day was action packed, we never got tired. This was due to the great attention we were given by the crew. Not once did we have to lift a finger to carry any gear, tanks etc. They passed cameras, torches and equipment to us in and out of the dive boat, and up and down from the Thorfinn. All we had to do was show up on time and roll into the water.

About Shane Currie

I was born in Katanning Western Australia and apart from a 2 year period in Port Hedland, have lived in Perth, Western Australia, all my life. I hold a B.Ec, a MBA (Adv), a MMktg, and a PhD from the University of Western Australia. I currently work as Solar Product Manager for part of the largest water heater company in the world, Rheem Australia

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Camera Equipment

The underwater pictures were taken using a Sea & Sea MX-10 with YS-40A strobe, close up and macro lenses. The land shots were taken with either my Sony A550 DSLR with either a 18-250mm or 70-400mm Lense. I also use a Sony Cybershot for the panoramic pictures and some of the action shots because it is small and easy to carry.